Point Your Car Toward Portland Oregon

Only Mother Nature. There is no way anyone will ever grow a tree quite like this magnificently wild Rocky Mountain juniper. Taking this a step further, there is almost no way anyone will ever be able to collect and style a tree like this, though there are a handful of people who have the requisite skills and knowledge. In this case, it’s a combination of two who share the skills and knowledge: Randy Knight found it, collected it and made sure it survived the trauma, and Ryan Neil styled it, potted it and currently keeps it alive and well at … Continue reading Point Your Car Toward Portland Oregon

The Dark Horse

What a great photo. It helps to have such an excellent subject for sure (Japanese black pine). It’s from post titled ‘The Dark Horse’ on the Bjorvala Bonsai Studio blog. The full tree and pot are shown below. Getting ready for a few days out of the office (my other job) so it’s a good time to dig back into our archives. This one originally appeared in 2013. It was titled ‘Drifting a Little Farther Afield.’ There’s really not much of theme going on with this post, other than a digital tour of some bonsai blogs/websites. So we’ll leave it … Continue reading The Dark Horse

It’s Still Labor Day Weekend & the Sun Is Still Shining

A wonderfully convoluted Sabina juniper after a little taming by Gabriel Romero Aguadé. If you look at the before photo below, you can see that Gabriel did quite a bit to tame what started out as tree with a world of potential but also with a crazily unruly crown and a trunk with poor taper. It’s not too hard to see how the crown was brought under control (some very detailed labor and some time for new growth to fill in). But the taper is a bit more mystifying; not much has changed, but somehow it looks much better. BTW, … Continue reading It’s Still Labor Day Weekend & the Sun Is Still Shining

“A Little Bit Above Average” – Backyard Bonsai 14

Bird’s eye view of Dan Dolan’s backyard. It’s has been a while since we’ve featured a backyard bonsai post (our last one was in 2013). Now, finally, we’ve got another good one for you. The yard and the bonsai, as well as the Japanese influenced landscaping and structures, belong to Dan Dolan. A little bit above average. Dan sent along some of his thoughts on bonsai and bonsai display: “Unlike many enthusiasts who heed the remonstrance of American bonsai masters to acquire only the best material upon which to work…… I take only the least promising and strive to make … Continue reading “A Little Bit Above Average” – Backyard Bonsai 14

Surrealistic Bonsai

Robert Steven’s simulation of a photo submitted by Wayan (see below). Yesterday’s post was about art and the art of bonsai and today we’re down in Williamstown Mass catching Van Gogh at the Clark before he’s gone (how’s that for bonfides?). The upshot is, no time to put together a new post, so we dug up this Robert Steven critique from 2011. We renamed it Surrealistic Bonsai, an accidental allusion to art (post Van Gogh of course). What a difference a pot makes Though Robert doesn’t mention it in his critique (below), introducing a shallow pot, rather than the tree’s … Continue reading Surrealistic Bonsai

“It’s About Time We in the Bonsai Community Caught Up”

This majestic old pomegranate (Punica granatum) was styled by John Naka. After John died, his wife Alice donated it to the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum. Mr Naka was and is a major influence on Dave De Groot’s view and practice of bonsai (more below on Dave). Yesterday’s post resurrected an old debate that has been running on and off for years here on Bark and elsewhere. We’ve been calling it highly refined bonsai versus naturalistic bonsai. If you check the comments to yesterday’s post and earlier posts on the topic, you’ll get an idea of just how high passions … Continue reading “It’s About Time We in the Bonsai Community Caught Up”

Revisiting An Old & Still Relevant Bonsai Debate

Hinoki cypress by Dan Robinson. From Gnarly Branches, Ancient Trees. An excellent example of a naturalistic bonsai. I think it’s time to revisit a discussion that seems to provoke plenty of interest each time we bring it up (there were 35 comments to this post back in 2011 and numerous comments to previous posts on topic). It’s also timely given that Gnarly Branches, Ancient Trees is now back in print and Dan Robinson’s bonsai play a big part in the discussion. A note about Gnarly Branches, Ancient Trees that I neglected to mention last post: By agreement with the publisher, … Continue reading Revisiting An Old & Still Relevant Bonsai Debate

The three trunks rising from the fat and robust roots of this Japanese maple bonsai fan out…

Japanese maple in the fullness of summer. From the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum. The other day we posted a Japanese maple (Yamamomiji) that we found online. At the time we didn’t know who the tree belonged to, but it didn’t take long for Michael Bonsai to clue us in. It’s from the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum. The original fall photo is below. Here’s what the Museum has to say, in a rather poetic fashion, about this powerful old tree: “The three trunks rising from the fat and robust roots of this Japanese maple bonsai fan out in the shape of … Continue reading The three trunks rising from the fat and robust roots of this Japanese maple bonsai fan out…

Tamarix Bonsai – An Unusual Tree

I can think of at least three reasons to be impressed by the tree. First, it’s a Tamarix tenuissima* (a type of Salt cedar), an usual genus and a very unusual species, when it comes bonsai at least. Second, it’s a beautiful, well-balanced, dynamic bonsai. And third, wiring every single little branch down, is a true labor of love. My only complaint is the fuzzy photo and that’s on me (I blew it up to fit our format). It’s Monday morning and I’m already way behind schedule, so we’ll keep it short and simple; one tree, a variety of Salt cedar,* … Continue reading Tamarix Bonsai – An Unusual Tree

Shaping Bonsai with Rebar, Turnbuckles, Stones, Wire – Everything but the Kitchen Sink

This is what you can do with a little daring and more than a little skill. The huge crack just up from the base of the trunk is intentional. Without it, there’s no way this old tree is surrendering that first subtle bend and without the rebar and wooden peg there’s no way the second larger bend is holding. This photo and the before photo below are from David Benavente’s Estudio de Bonsai. This post, which provides valuable tips on some relatively obscure bonsai techniques, is a mishmash from three previous posts. Before. What would you have done? … Continue reading Shaping Bonsai with Rebar, Turnbuckles, Stones, Wire – Everything but the Kitchen Sink